Travel Tip - The Top Reasons To NOT Practice Airline Skip Lagging

Travel

Audio By Carbonatix

A couple of weeks ago a teen traveler (traveling alone for the first time) was detained in Florida because he had purchased a hidden city ticket. To be clear, this is not a travel purchase offered by the airlines but rather a practice performed by people who are saving money by bending or in some cases breaking the rules of air carriers. In this case, the passenger purchased a one way ticket from Gainesville to New York city with a layover in Charlotte. He, however, was planning on staying in Charlotte (where he lives) and never going all the way to New York City. This is a practice known as “skip lagging”, “point beyond ticketing” or “hidden city ticketing” and it is highly frowned upon by the industry worldwide and against the rules of some US carriers. 

Okay, the bottom line. Before you book your next flight with any airline, read the contract of carriage the airline puts forth. Your jaw is most likely going to drop at ALL of the things you are agreeing to by purchasing and taking the flight. United Airlines went through a round of this skip-lagging business in 2019 and sent a memo to front-line employees asking them to increase their policing efforts of the policy. And here is the exact language Air France uses within their contract of carriage

"The fare is applicable for a ticket used fully, in sequential order for the specified journey and on the specified dates. As outlined in the General Conditions of Carriage, any non-compliant use noticed on the day of travel may incur an additional flat-rate fee at the airport for the amount of: €125 in the Economy cabin and €300 in the Business cabin, for flights within Europe... €500 in the Economy and Premium Economy cabins, €1,500 in the Business and La Première cabins... for intercontinental flights." 

Of course, this practice only works on the last leg of your flight. And it certainly won’t work if you check your luggage. I have found a few sources online touting the benefits of practice because it can save you money. True, but it’s also against the rules. I can get an A on a test if I see the answers in advance. That’s called cheating, I still get the A if I am not caught. 

Some advocates of the practice of skip lagging state, “it’s none of the airlines business.” That’s also simply not true. It is the business of the airline to know what its passengers are doing on every flight. And for most airlines that's millions of people in any 24-hour period. It’s a massive undertaking. If you don’t think so, consider this. The next time you are on a flight, look around the cabin and recognize the airlines have a vested interest in keeping YOU safe. Safe from more than you think. Safe from other aircraft on the ground and in the air, the weather, the food, and drink served to you on board, the equipment, the crew, and your fellow passengers. In other words, everyone is to play their part in the symphony of commercial aviation. It may seem harmless to try to save a few hundred dollars on a ticketing loophole but airlines have to deal with that in some form or fashion. And the more resources they dedicate to that the fewer resources (potentially) they have to dedicate to the above-mentioned safety issues. 

I think you are picking up what I’m laying down. When it comes to air travel, remember you are playing a vital role (by flying commercially) in a massive infrastructure designed to bring safe air travel to those who can afford it, a fair paying wage to its employees, and profits or dividends to the stakeholders or shareholders. Skip the gimmicks, do your homework, shop for the best price, speak with a qualified travel advisor, book your trip and have the time of your life.

Oh, and remember, I’ll see you in line at security.